(Audio)
Why, O Jacob, do you say,
and declare, O Israel,
"My way is hidden from the LORD,
and my right is disregarded by my God"?
In our pretenses of piety we don't say it. But we often believe in our hearts that God isn't really paying attention to us and to our problems. We feel that if he really saw what was going on in our lives he would intervene to make things better.
We have an implicit doubt that our God isn't really strong enough to solve the problems of the world as we understand them. It does seem, perhaps, like he solves one or two major issues miraculously but then grows weary and wants or simply doesn't know about the others.
The LORD is the eternal God,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint nor grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
The LORD, it is true, does not choose to perfectly order the circumstances of the world to our liking. The world is still a fallen world. It is still under the power of sin even until the return of Christ. We who know and follow him are not of the world. God manifests his power most especially in our hearts by making us to be like he is.
He gives strength to the fainting;
for the weak he makes vigor abound.
We are given an inexhaustible source of strength that makes young men look old and run down by comparison. We are transformed so that circumstances can't wear us down. We are given supernatural endurance.
They that hope in the LORD will renew their strength,
they will soar as with eagles' wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.
The important thing is for us to stop insisting that everything around us be made right before we allow ourselves to be made right. God wants to begin the transformation of his world within our individual hearts. We labor and are burdened with many projects of our own devising. We are still starting with circumstances and finding ourselves not up to the task. Rather, let us come to and learn from Jesus. Let us take the yoke he has devised. Only then will we find rest and lightness even in spite of our afflictions.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
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